A photo posted by Franklin Borough Councilman David Fanale shows a character from a former Comedy Central show wearing short shorts.David Fanale's Facebook page

FRANKLIN BOROUGH — A Franklin Borough councilman, irate over a traffic stop, recently spewed his disdain for the Roxbury Township Police Department on his Facebook page in an eight-paragraph post comparing police officers to criminals and referring to them as as "pigs," "bullies," and "thugs."

Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 57, was not amused by the post on the social media site, calling the statements "unprofessional, disrespectful and immature."

The post, written by Councilman David Fanale, said the officers "are not held accountable by anyone for anything," and asked others to speak out against overzealous law enforcement officials.

"The truth is; (sic) the only difference between the punks in blue and the bad guys they lock up are the uniforms which there are forced to wear; (sic) blue or prison orange," says Fanale’s post, titled, "Roxbury Law Enforcers are PIGS! (Now that I have your attention …).

The post continues, "If you’re an honest American, and honest with yourself, perhaps it’s time you don’t remain silent and begin to speak out against that evil which oppresses each and every resident of this state … law enforcement."

The initial post on March 19 was accompanied by a cartoon character urinating on a symbol representing police officers killed in the line of duty with its middle finger extended.

The photograph was replaced yesterday afternoon with one showing an unidentified man in a police uniform with short shorts with his hand on his holstered handgun.

Fanale, a registered Republican, acknowledged that he posted the anti-police screed on his Facebook page, but declined further comment based on advice from his attorney.

"Everything is out there, everything is public," he said.

Fanale’s most recent post stems from a traffic stop in Roxbury on May 21, 2013, when he and Kerry Hodgson, whom Fanale identified as his fiancée, were responding to a call about a raccoon in an attic.

Fanale and Hodgson are both state-certified animal cruelty investigators who operate a wildlife management business, according to the Facebook post. Hodgson could not be reached for comment.

According to the post, which includes a copy of a four-page internal affairs complaint filed by Fanale and Hodgson against the Roxbury police, they were both repeatedly harassed by Officer Kyle Kelly and another officer identified only as "Officer No. 2" during the traffic stop.

A cartoon character with its middle finger extended is shown urinating on a symbol representing police officers who were killed in the line of duty. The cartoon character was initially shown on Franklin Councilman David Fanale's Facebook page but later removed.Fanale's Facebook page

"These officers took two model citizens and for whatever reason formed an opinion about us, and treated us like trash," Fanale wrote in the internal affairs complaint. "This experience was so surreal, it was like a nightmare; (sic) like footage from the television show, "COPS."

The complaint was ultimately dismissed by Roxbury Police Chief James Simonetti on Dec. 20, 2013, and Fanale paid a $55 fine for an "obstructed view," or cracked windshield, on his work vehicle.

A spokeswoman for Simonetti said the chief did not want to comment on the case. Franklin Mayor Paul Crowley did not return a message seeking comment.

The Fraternal Order of Police took particular offense at the cartoon character initially shown with Fanale’s post.

"It seems that this councilman is suggesting that it is okay to urinate on graves of the 58 police officers in the United States killed in the line of duty in 2014 …" Detective Nevin Mattssich of Franklin wrote on behalf of the lodge, which represents 25 officers from Franklin, Ogdensburg and Hamburg.

In March, Fanale posted a message that criticized a Franklin police officer who was injured while helping to rescue pets at a store fire.

In that post, Fanale asserted that with no human lives at risk, no one should enter a burning building without proper training.